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Welcome to "Turning Around", the blog for people on The Great Journey - In Search of God, In Search of Life. Join the conversation. To subscribe click the floating black "Follow" button on the bottom right and enter your email address. We would love for you to add your comments to our posts so we can all have the benefit of each other's experiences and insights. It will make Turning Around a more valuable resource.

This post is part of a series titled Choosing Authenticity: A Prayer of My Own. It is Part 5/9 of Reflection V: of that series titled Conversion of Heart | Saying Our Prayers Is Not Enough. Choosing Authenticity A Prayer of Our Own Reflection V Conversion of Heart Saying Our Prayers Is Not Enough (Part 5) Seeking Wholeness […]

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Richard is back. My last post was on December 26, 2017, over a year ago. A lot has happened in the last year. Winnie and I have both had various medical problems and have been in the hospital more than once, had multiple doctors appointments, and physical therapy appointments. I have had several post stroke […]

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There is a false dichotomy that shows up in much contemporary Christian teaching. In its broadest terms the question is “Are we saved by works or are we saved by Grace?” That broad question is beyond the scope of this reflection , but in the context of the spiritual life the question becomes “are we transformed by work or we are transformed by Grace?”

Divine Union is the ultimate goal of Listening Obedience. It is at the very heart of the conversion process. It is the goal of the whole spiritual life. In Divine Union I am called again and again to let go of my ego—to let go of those compulsive thoughts, emotions, and impulses that typically drive all my actions and all my reactions to the people, events and things that make up my daily life. In Divine Union I am called to continually be guided by that Sacred Inner Voice where that Mysterious Other I call God—in the traditional language the Holy Spirit—regularly speaks to me and offers me guidance and strength and courage as I go through my day…

For many of us Christians conversion brings up an image of what one pastor friend of mine has referred to as the “aisle walk”. One gets up at the end of the service on Sunday morning, walks down the aisle, professes belief in Jesus Christ as one’s personal savior, and gets voted “in”. Then one is baptized. Then the “conversion” is complete…

“The word “conversion” usually brings to mind someone leaving one religious tradition and joining another, or perhaps joining a religious tradition for the first time. Often it is seen as a singular, perhaps even dramatic event. But the Hebrew-Christian scriptures present a different image”…

Tony Compello: “I have three things I’d like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t give a shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact I just said “shit” than you are that 30,000 kids died last night.”…